Diesel stands tall in Kia’s most popular sports utility. But is it a crucial element?

Price: $62,990

Powertrain and economy: 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel inline-four, 137kW/416Nm, eight-speed automatic, AWD, claimed combined economy 7.3L/100km, CO2 181g/km.

Vital statistics: 4660mm long, 1865mm wide, 1680mm high, 2755mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 543 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels.

Like: Exterior design boldness, good torque, decent ride quality.

Not so much: Daft radio tuning process, still not a driver’s car.

ONCE selecting a sports utility wagon came down making a series of straightforward decisions: Work out the best design, best spec, best transmission … and always, always, go for diesel. Assuming there was even any other choice.

Is that still the case? Doubtful. Times are changing. And fast. The electric vibe is strong, including in Kia’s crossover and sports utility family these days.

There’s the EV6 (total giveaway, that name) in the totally battery format, the Nio spanning putting a bet on that, plus ptrol-electric, and the Sorento newly-transformed into a petrol-electric, again in mild and plug-in hybrid formats.

Sportage appears the last stronghold for compression ignition and it definitely figures strongly in the clan at the moment. Four of the eight variants offer with the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, hooked up to an eight-speed automatic, feeding an all-wheel-drive system.

Top pick is also the family flagship, the X-Line trim on test, which abets this muscular powerplant with an impressive safety package, lots of driver assistance electronics, a comfortable cabin environment and a smart-looking exterior styling.

On the face of it then, Kia not only seems in no hurry to depart the dark side of the forecourt but is dressing its top contender for every chance of ongoing success.

Look to the long-term forecast for this class, though, and you’d have to think dark clouds are forming on the diesel horizon, for all sorts of reasons, political and environmental.

Hence why Hyundai Group has Smartstream, a marriage of mild or plug-in hybrid tech to a 1.6-litre petrol. That’s the powerplant now used by Sorento, in preference to the 2.2-litre diesel it used to run with. The mild hybrid version of Smartstream is in the Sportage in other markets, including North America, with expectation of the PHEV following.

Kia NZ has signalled it’ll introduce those variants when it can. When that happens, what’ll happen to the diesel?

No official word yet, but I’d be comfortable in suggesting it’s a matter very much a matter keeping the product planners extremely occupied.

Plug-in and mild petrol-electric powerplants are tasty, in that while they don’t necessarily entirely emulate diesel traits in daily operability, in respect to on-paper output and economy, they’re at least just as good, while optimal emissions are much, much lower.

On top of this, the diminishing interest in diesel within this sector, consideration that battery-assisted systems achieve a positive reception and the high probability Smartstream will ultimately achieve useful emissions credits under the Clean Car regime, which steps up another gear at the start of 2023, will also surely be influences in local decision-making.

On strength of how the test car performed, I’d be a bit sorry to see Sportage diesel leave the scene, assuming that’s the future for it, yet not totally devastated.

Diesel engines are more efficient than pure petrol ones because of the high energy content of the fuel and are better for towing because of their torque characteristics – the strong pulling power from low revs, means they don’t work as hard to move heavy loads. The first showed in spades with the Sportage. The second couldn’t be tested. No tow bar.

Still, this unit is comfortably more muscular and, with peak torque hitting lower down the rev range, more relaxed in its operability than the alternate petrol engine Kia uses. That means it is relatively quiet in its operation and seems happy in its marriage to an auto that prefers more to be left to shift itself that be hand-motivated.

Of course, diesels haven’t been getting a bad rap for nothing. While comparing a diesel engine with a petrol unit with the same power output shows that the diesel emits less CO2, the type does tend to emit more particulates than equivalent petrols.

That’s an issue Hyundai here considered when deciding in giving its almost-twinned equivalent, the Tucson, a 1.6-litre diesel it sourced from Europe in preference to continuing, as Kia has, with a 2.0-litre that ran in the previous lines of both and sources from South Korea.

Hyundai had a hunch the 1.6 would be better placed in the Clean Car environment. In some ways, it is. The smaller capacity engine is 1.1 litres’ per 100km thriftier and also cleaner, by around 50g/km.

As it turns out, when the dust settled on Clean Car, the Kia dodged a bullet, with its CO2 count also below the point of censure; if only by a ‘mere’ 11g/km. Not unexpected, given the age of the unit.

As things stand, both engines are not dirty enough to pay a fee, not clean enough to win a credit. Kia arguably has made the better call because the 2.0-litre delivers more oomph, an additional 37kW and 96Nm. On top of this, the Sportage in this format is a cheaper choice.

And a better-looking one, as well? I’d suggest so. While not quite adventurous and as bold as the look meted Hyundai’s equivalent, it’s far less alien space-shippy, around the front especially. Kia’s aim was to create a more ‘technical’ look for the car, intended to better express a sense of precision of build quality and technological sophistication. It’s quietly effective here.

The crisp silhouette, edgy panel creases, big grille and boomerang shaped headlights are Kia design language hallmarks that fit this scale of vehicle very well. A shout out for the metallic khaki paintwork, too. Dunno if I’d literally buy into it, yet is a great colour to photograph.

What imprints the Sportage as a nicely made and cleverly modernised replacement for an already good car is the interior; the whole ambience represents a big leap forward. The highlight feature of two fused 12.3 inch screens is a fully modern imprint, more than the divestment of a traditional gear selector for a twist dial type.

The step up in technology too, is tangible and there’s been more effort into delivering better-looking materials throughout the cabin.

The highlight of the interior design is that curved black panel stretching across most of the dashboard, combining a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen (with over-the-air updates) and 12-inch digital instrument cluster into one unit.

Below the screens sit a new 'ergonomic' centre console with a shift-by-wire gear selector, multi-zone climate control and buttons for the seats, which at this level are heated and ventilated.

Other hallmark equipment items include 19-inch alloy wheels, leather/suede upholstery, bi-LED headlights, wireless smartphone charging, and a panoramic sunroof. A Harman Kardon premium sound system avails, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto involvement, but it’s quirky that whereas cheaper models with a lower-spec audio have wireless integration of those functions, here that requires a cable tether.

Kia keeps the same plastics that you’ll see across the whole range, but chucks in a few nice enhancements here and there; it’s an aesthetic that is helped by a lot of the touchy-feely materials having a nicer sense of quality. And it already made tactile and high-quality switchgear.

Still, the primary premium enhancement pretty much comprises a piano black centre console, which looks okay though you’ll want to have a soft cloth, because it seems a magnet for fingerprints, something especially evident in full sunlight.

Moving on. The front chair is comfortable, if perhaps just a touch high for the tall, though there is excellent adjustability between the steering wheel and seats. Space in the second row is much improved. It’s now a place where the lanky won’t grizzle about.

The touchscreen and instrument console display are the interior’s opus. They display content beautifully and menu systems are nicely done, with one exception. Unfortunately, it’s the one device with which simple and straightforward functionality is always needed, the radio.

Operability just seems unnecessarily overwrought; simply tracking down and setting stations can be a pain and interchanging from a phone app to the native system is awkward at times. It’s the same system shared with Hyundai, so at least the two owner camps can swap notes and complaints.

Putting aside debate about that factor, you’re at least definitely buying more of a car than before. Though Sportage and Tucson have close commonality, the Kia delivers tangible user benefit from being on a slightly longer wheelbase.

On top of that, it is considerably larger than the previous one, not just in being 175mm longer, but also have a lengthened wheelbase, plus a bit more width and height. That, plus the assertive styling, adds up to a bold kerbside presence and also avails a roomier cabin. There’s particular benefit in respect to boot space, with the rear seats also able to be folded properly flat now.

Sportage and Tucson appear to be even-stevens in respect to active safety technology; neither puts a foot wrong with autonomous emergency braking with junction support, lane-follow assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control.

The lane keep is a little zealous and, as is typical, though it can be turned off in the car’s menu, it’ll revert to full alert status as soon as the ignition is turned off.

A 360-degree camera is a good feature but of even great practical use is the blind-spot camera feed, displaying the view whichever of the car’s flanks aligns to which indicator is used. The view comes up inside the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and lends a reassuring confirmation of the way being clear when you’re merging or turning.

In dynamic respect, having already spent time with the Hyundai, I knew these were decent bones. However, my thought is that Kia’s car, though still largely conventional in its approach, is just a little bit better in respect to driving feel-good.

It’s not going to rewrite class rules in respect to agility, and you don’t have to push all that hard to find the extremes of mechanical grip, but it does strike an appreciably sensibly handling balance and the ride setting is well sorted.

You get a car that copes reasonably well with undulating surfaces and isn’t rattled (yes, pun intended) by potholes and road imperfections. It’s also quiet and refined in terms of road and wind noise. And though the engine’s growls can become noticeable, the gruffness isn’t so loud to be irksome.

When things get more twisty, the Sportage rounds bends with confidence and the body is well controlled. The steering is of nice firm weight, though remains easily turned for quick manoeuvres around town. That said, the Sportage does have an annoyingly large turning circle.

Some might wonder if the X-Line is potentially fluttering into thin air with pricing infiltration above $60k, a positioning that will corner it into being seen as a semi-premium placement. It’s not quite that, in my opinion.

Were Sportage to divest this diesel, it’d be the end of something special. The 2.0-litre has proven itself to be a worthy and faithful servant, no argument. Yet, as diesels go, it’s not so advanced as to make it seem indispensable. It does a worthy job in workmanlike manner; it’s steadfast, but not spectacular. It’s no surprise I didn’t mind it; we own a diesel SUV already. But would I miss it?

In the overall scheme of things, not having diesel likely wouldn’t be a mortal blow to Sportage, because it’s so well-rounded. The strengths spread well beyond the engine bay so, while it would be a different car, it probably wouldn’t really be a poorer one.